Why: This is exceptional, artisanal ravioli, made in small batches in Belleville, using many ingredients from Eastern Ontario. The product became available in Ottawa only in the last couple of months. “We’d do tastings in Belleville, or at Mrs. McGarrigle’s (in Merrickville) and a lot of people from Ottawa would ask ‘where can I get that in Ottawa?’ ” says Victoria Watts, a former Ottawa lawyer, who runs the four-year-old company with her sister, Paula Watts, a chef.

The sisters, who have fond memories of cooking with their Italian mother and nonna, add new flavours as they discover new local products. They now make nine types of ravioli, including Three Cheese, made with cheeses from Ivanhoe Cheese, just north of Belleville; Gourmet Mushroom, made with mushrooms from Wellington, in Prince Edward County; and a fabulous Roasted Butternut Squash & Smoked Gouda, made with county squash in season and Ivanhoe smoked Gouda.

“What people seem to love about our ravioli is that it’s a really pure taste experience,” says Paula, who studied at the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown. “There are no fillers, additives or preservatives.”

That and the fact that the plump pockets cook from frozen in three minutes, making a gourmet dinner in minutes.

“We want to change how people think of pasta,” says Paula. “It’s more than spaghetti and meatballs. The Gourmet Mushroom Ravioli, for example, are fantastic as a side dish with steak, just tossed with a little olive oil, cracked pepper and Parmesan cheese.”

Where: The Red Apron, on Gladstone Avenue, carries the Three Cheese ravioli, while Jacobsons, on Beechwood, stocks Three Cheese, Butternut Squash, Gourmet Mushroom and Tuscan Bean, which are made with whipped cannellini beans, fresh leeks and aged cheddar. Loblaws on Isabella has those four flavours, plus Roasted Butternut Squash & Smoked Gouda.

How much: $13 to $16 for a 500-g bag, which contains about 50 ravioli, or four to five servings.

Demos and tastings:

Saturday, May 10: The sisters will be at the Red Apron from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., introducing their Butternut Squash flavour to that location.

Saturday, May 31: They’ll be at Loblaws on Isabella Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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